Car Tires in Atlanta, GA

Ever
stare at the sidewall of your tire and feel bewildered at the string of
information running along the rim? We are here to help. We've broken down some
of the terms for you…

See
that number after the capital letter(s)? That stands for the tire's section width, meaning the
distance from the inner edge of the sidewall to outer edge in millimeters.

The
capital letter that comes before the tire's section width indicates the tire size in terms of use, so P stands
for "passenger car" and "LT" stands for "light truck."

After
the tire width, you should see a slash and then another number. That number is
known as the aspect ratio. It is the
section height compared with the section width. You'll more than likely see an
R after the aspect ratio. This means "radial."

The
number after the R indicates the rim diameter
for which the tire was sized.

Next
comes the number indicating load index.
This value indicates the amount of weight that the tire was designed to bear.
The number itself is not the weight, but a number that correlates to a certain
weight. For instance, a common number is 95, which correlates to a weight of
1,521 lbs. But that is per tire, so a set of tires--all rated at a load index
of 95--can bear 6,084 lbs.

Following
the Load Index is the speed rating, represented
by a capital letter. The speed rating tells us the top speed at which the tire
can be run and remain safe. The letter H, for example, indicates a speed rating
of 130 mph.

Often,
the only information people are used to getting from a tire's sidewall is the maximum permissible inflation pressure.
Remember, this the only the maximum, not the ideal pressure. You can find that
in your owner's manual.